Northern Quarter

Priority 1: Anti-Social Behaviour

Entrenched Rough Sleeping, Homelessness and Begging – Manchester City Centre

Priority 1: Anti-Social Behaviour Entrenched Rough Sleeping, Homelessness and Begging – Manchester City Centre.

The GMP City Centre Street Engagement Neighbourhood Policing Team, working in partnership with ASBAT, Manchester City Council, and the Manchester Homelessness Partnership, is committed to reducing anti-social behaviour (ASB) associated with entrenched rough sleeping, homelessness and street-based begging within Manchester City Centre.

This priority recognises the complex and interrelated needs of individuals experiencing rough sleeping, including mental ill-health, substance dependency, and trauma. The approach seeks to balance proportionate enforcement with compassionate, trauma‑informed support, ensuring community safety while promoting pathways away from street-based lifestyles. While we remain committed to supporting those who are genuinely in need, we will not tolerate organised or aggressive begging that impacts the safety and wellbeing of our community. We will continue to work with partner agencies to ensure that help is available, but also take firm action where necessary.

Objectives

Reduce ASB linked to entrenched rough sleeping through intelligence-led patrols, early intervention, and coordinated multi-agency problem solving.
Safeguard vulnerable individuals by facilitating timely referrals to housing, health, mental health, and addiction recovery services.
Support Manchester’s Homelessness Strategy, contributing to the ambition of making homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurrent.
Enhance public confidence by delivering visible, fair, and respectful policing that addresses community concerns while protecting vulnerable people.

Operational Approach

Joint Outreach and Enforcement

Deploy joint patrols combining neighbourhood officers and outreach professionals.
Maintain consistent engagement with entrenched rough sleepers, offering support while addressing behaviours that cause ASB, harm, or intimidation.
Place-Based Problem Solving

Focus activity on identified hotspot locations, informed by demand data, partner intelligence, and community feedback.
Apply trauma‑informed and procedurally just engagement, ensuring individuals are treated with dignity while setting clear behavioural expectations.
Partnership-Led Intervention

Work closely with Manchester City Council, housing providers, NHS services, probation, and voluntary sector partners.
Use case management and problem-solving forums to address root causes, reduce repeat ASB, and prevent escalation.
Proportionate Use of Civil Powers

Where support and engagement have not resulted in behaviour change, apply proportionate enforcement measures, including:
Dispersal powers
Community Protection Warnings and Notices (CPNs, CPWs)
Other relevant civil or criminal powers
All enforcement decisions will be made with due regard to vulnerability, safeguarding duties, and equality considerations.

Performance Measures -
Reduction in ASB reports linked to homelessness and rough sleeping within the city centre.
Number of successful referrals to housing, treatment, and support services.
Reduction in repeat ASB incidents involving the same individuals.
Improved community confidence and perceptions of safety, evidenced through feedback and engagement outcomes.

Priority 2: Anti-Social Behaviour & Road Safety
Illegal E‑Bikes and E‑Scooters – Manchester City Centre

Priority 2: Anti-Social Behaviour & Road Safety

Illegal E‑Bikes and E‑Scooters – Manchester City Centre

The GMP City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team, supported by the Roads Policing Unit (RPU) and Force Intelligence Bureau, is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour, road safety risks, and criminality associated with the illegal use of e‑bikes and e‑scooters in Manchester City Centre.

This priority responds directly to significant concerns raised by residents, workers, and visitors at our PACT – Partners and Communities Together Monthly Meeting about rider behaviour in congested and heavily pedestrianised areas. Residents within the city have concerns re riders congregating around certain premises whilst waiting for their deliveries. Illegal, high‑powered, and modified e‑bikes and e‑scooters are being ridden at excessive speeds, on pavements and within pedestrian zones, placing the public at risk of serious injury. These vehicles are also increasingly being used to facilitate serious and organised crime, including drug supply and acquisitive offending.

This activity is focused on protecting the public and improving safety, ensuring that everyone—whether travelling on foot, bicycle, or vehicle—can use the city centre safely and responsibly.

Objectives -

Reduce anti-social behaviour and danger to pedestrians caused by illegal and improperly used e‑bikes and e‑scooters.
Prevent serious injury and collisions arising from high‑speed riding in pedestrianised and shared‑use spaces.
Disrupt criminal use of e‑bikes and e‑scooters linked to organised and acquisitive crime.
Increase compliance with road traffic legislation through enforcement, education, and visible policing.
Reinforce public confidence by responding decisively to community safety concerns.

Operational Approach

Intelligence-Led Enforcement -
Joint working between RPU, City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team, and the Force Intelligence Bureau.
Identification of riders, vehicles, and locations linked to repeat ASB, collisions, and criminality.
Targeted operations based on reports from the public, partner intelligence, and demand data.

High-Visibility Patrols -
Increased patrol activity in hotspot locations, including pedestrianised areas, transport hubs, and retail districts.
Officers deployed to detect:
Riding on pavements
Excessive speed
Dangerous or careless riding
Illegal modifications and high‑powered motors
Proportionate Enforcement

Seizure of illegal vehicles that do not meet legal requirements.
Arrest and prosecution where offences are committed.
Enforcement under relevant Road Traffic and ASB legislation, with clear rationale and supervision.
Prevention and Public Reassurance

Clear messaging to riders and the wider public regarding:
What constitutes a legal e‑bike
Where riding is permitted
Consequences of non‑compliance
Engagement with communities affected by repeat issues to demonstrate action taken.

What We Are Doing

Seizing illegal and non‑compliant e‑bikes and e‑scooters
Arresting offenders where criminal thresholds are met
Increasing patrols in identified hotspot areas
Actively targeting anti-social and dangerous riding behaviour
This year, more than 50 illegal Bikes / Scooters have already been seized across Manchester City Centre, reflecting the scale of the issue and the force’s commitment to safeguarding the public.

Rationale -
This priority comes in response to numerous reports of near misses, collisions, accidents, and injuries, alongside persistent complaints of riders travelling at high speeds through pedestrianised areas. The misuse and modification of these vehicles presents a clear and escalating risk and will not be tolerated.

Performance Measures -
Number of illegal vehicles seized.
Reduction in ASB and road danger reports related to e‑bikes and e‑scooters.
Reduction in collisions and injury reports in city centre pedestrian zones.
Improved community confidence and perception of safety through feedback and engagement.

Priority 3: Drug Use and Dealing

Priority 3: Drug Use and Dealing

The GMP City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team is committed to tackling drug use and drug dealing within Manchester City Centre. This priority responds directly to significant concerns raised by residents, workers, and visitors at the Partners and Communities Together (PACT) Monthly Meeting, particularly relating to drug dealing in Piccadilly Gardens, Oldham Street, and the Northern Quarter.

Drug-related activity in these areas has a detrimental impact on community confidence, public safety, and the use of public spaces, and is closely linked to anti-social behaviour, violence, exploitation, and acquisitive crime. Officers are working in partnership with specialist police units and external agencies to identify individuals involved in drug activity, disrupt criminal behaviour, and take decisive, proportionate action while safeguarding vulnerable individuals.

Objectives -
Disrupt and reduce drug-related activity in identified priority locations through intelligence‑led patrols, enforcement, and problem‑solving approaches.
Identify, apprehend, and bring to justice individuals involved in drug use and supply, with a focus on repeat offenders and street‑level dealing.
Enhance community safety and confidence through visible policing, proactive engagement, and consistent responses to community concerns.
Work in partnership with relevant agencies to provide safeguarding, support, and diversion opportunities for individuals affected by drug misuse, reducing harm and repeat offending.

Operational Approach

Targeted Patrols -
Regular, high‑visibility patrols in known drug hotspot locations, including Piccadilly Gardens, Oldham Street, and the Northern Quarter.
Patrols focused on disruption of street‑level dealing, reassurance of the public, and early identification of emerging issues. Conduct Days of Action to disrupt ASB and drug dealing.

Stop and Search -
Lawful, proportionate, and intelligence‑led use of stop and search powers, in accordance with legislation, force policy, and scrutiny requirements.
Activity supported by clear grounds, supervision, and engagement with those stopped to maintain trust and confidence.

Community Engagement -
Meaningful engagement with residents, businesses, and community representatives to build trust and encourage intelligence reporting.
Regular feedback through PACT meetings and community forums to demonstrate action taken and maintain transparency.

Partnership Working -
Ongoing collaboration with Manchester City Council, NHS services, probation, housing providers, and voluntary sector organisations.
Use of multi‑agency problem‑solving and safeguarding pathways to address vulnerability, exploitation, and complex needs linked to drug misuse.
Referrals to drug and alcohol treatment services and support agencies as part of a harm‑reduction approach.

Performance Measures -
Number of arrests, charges, and successful prosecutions for drug‑related offences linked to city centre activity.
Reduction in drug‑related crime and associated anti‑social behaviour within identified hotspot locations.
Improved community confidence and perceptions of safety, evidenced through PACT feedback, public engagement, and partner intelligence.
Increased referrals and engagement with support services for individuals affected by drug misuse.